This invention relates to an improved inner tie rod tool useful for removal and replacement of inner tie rods, particularly of the type which include a cylindrical inner end.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,776 for an Inner Tie Rod Tool, incorporated herewith by reference, discloses a tool to facilitate the removal and replacement of inner tie rods for the steering control system of a vehicle. That is, many vehicles are equipped with a rack and pinion steering control system which is connected by means of tie rods to the running gear for the front wheels of the vehicle. The steering wheel of the vehicle may thus be turned or rotated to effect rotation of a pinion, thereby driving a rack and consequently moving the tie rods to effect movement of the front wheels of the vehicle and thereby control the direction of vehicle movement.
Servicing and repair of the steering control system often requires removal and replacement of the tie rods, including the inner tie rods which effectively connect the rack or other steering mechanism to the front wheels of the vehicle. The tie rods typically include a rod with a collar at one end. The collar may include an internal threaded connection for attachment of the tie rod to the steering system and external flats for engagement by a wrench type tool to rotate the tie rod for removal or installation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,776 describes, in general, various types of tie rod constructions of this type and a tool for effecting their removal.
With some vehicle steering systems, the utilization of a hexagonal nut or flats associated with the collar of the inner tie rod are omitted and in their place the tie rod is provided with a cylindrical collar. Removal of the inner tie rod using a tool of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,776, thus becomes difficult and perhaps impractical.
Various solutions for removal of such alternative tie rod constructions have been proposed. For example, KD Tools makes an inner tie rod tool, Model 3312, designed for removal and installation of inner tie rods on many General Motors and some Chrysler products. This tool is designed to be used on tie rods having a complete hexagonal or just two flats on the inner end. The tool includes an annular end collar which is generally cylindrical and a single set screw. Northstar Manufacturing Company makes a similar product, part number 88-7301 identified as a universal inner tie rod socket. It utilizes a collar which engages the end of a tie rod by a pair of set screws.
Thus, the variety of tools available for the removal and replacement of inner tie rods is significant. Nonetheless, such tools are not necessarily satisfactory for removal of tie rods having round or cylindrical ends because such tie rods do not have any flat surfaces that can be engaged to facilitate their removal and replacement by wrench type devices. For example, the KD Tool described utilizes a large annular collar and single set screw in order to be compatible with numerous types of inner tie rods. Because of the size of the annular collar, the tool may be off center during use, thereby resulting in difficulty when seeking to effect tie rod removal inasmuch as the tool is not concentric with respect to the tie rod that is to be removed. This failure in alignment may cause parts to bind, for example.
Thus, there has developed the need to develop an inner tie rod tool especially useful for removal of tie rods wherein the tie rods do not necessarily include a flat end wrench engageable surface and wherein the tie rods typically would include a cylindrical or round end surface.